BBC Director General Reveals New Information Forced Scott Mills Dismissal
Outgoing BBC director general Tim Davie has stated it became "very clear" that Scott Mills had to be dismissed after the corporation received "new information" regarding a sexual offence investigation. The investigation involved a person under the age of 16, which significantly altered the BBC's response to the case.
Investigation Details and BBC Awareness
Scott Mills, aged 53, was investigated and subsequently cleared over allegations of historic "serious sexual offences" against a boy between 1997 and 2000. The BBC has admitted it was aware of the Metropolitan Police investigation into the Radio 2 star in 2017. However, the corporation only took action last week after learning that the alleged victim was under 16 at the time of the incidents.
Tim Davie, who became director general in September 2020, commented on the decision today, saying, "We're trying to act fairly. It was new information quite recently that we received that made it very clear about the decision we had to make." He described Mills' sacking as "a real shock to the organisation," adding, "When something happens where I think there's a lot of grief, there's a lot of shock, I think all I would say is we're trying to act as the leadership with kindness."
Legal Proceedings and BBC Internal Review
Mills, who would have been 24 during the late 1990s when the allegations occurred, was interviewed under caution in 2018. The case was rejected by the Crown Prosecution Service in 2019 due to insufficient evidence. Despite this legal outcome, the BBC's internal processes were triggered by the recent revelation about the victim's age.
BBC management is currently reviewing emails and human resources records from the relevant period. This review aims to determine what staff knew about the Metropolitan Police investigation and whether they were aware the complainant was a child. The corporation finally acknowledged on Wednesday that it was informed of the police probe in 2017 but took no action until receiving the "new information" recently.
Scott Mills' Response and Statement
Hours after the BBC's admission, Scott Mills issued an extraordinary statement through his lawyers to the Daily Mail. He broke his silence to confirm he was the subject of the investigation but did not deny the allegations. Mills expressed gratitude to his fans and former BBC colleagues, stating, "I wish to thank from the bottom of my heart all those who have reached out to me with kindness, my former colleagues and my beloved listeners, who I greatly miss."
In his full statement, Mills said, "An allegation was made against me in 2016 of a historic sexual offence which was the subject of a police investigation in which I fully cooperated and responded to in 2018. As the police have stated, a file of evidence was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service, which determined that the evidential threshold had not been met to bring charges." He added, "Since the investigation related to an allegation that dates back nearly 30 years and the police investigation was closed seven years ago, I hope that the public and the media will understand and respect my wish not to make any further public comment on this matter."
BBC's Official Statement and Cultural Commitment
A BBC spokesman stated on Wednesday, "Scott Mills had a long career across the BBC, he was hugely popular and we know the news this week has come as a shock and surprise to many. What we can confirm is that in recent weeks, we obtained new information relating to Scott and we spoke directly with him. As a result, the BBC acted decisively in line with our culture and values and terminated his contracts on Friday, March 27."
The spokesman continued, "The BBC has made a significant commitment to improve its culture, processes and standards. Last year, following an independent culture review, we set out the behavioural expectations for everyone who works with or for the BBC and we were clear that action would be taken if these were not met. Separately, we can confirm the BBC was made aware in 2017 of the existence of an ongoing police investigation, which was subsequently closed in 2019 with no arrest or charge being made. We are doing more work to understand the details of what was known by the BBC at this time."
Leadership Transition at the BBC
Tim Davie is being replaced by Rhodri Talfan Davies for the next six weeks, before former Google executive Matt Brittin assumes the role of director general on May 18. This leadership change occurs amidst the ongoing fallout from the Mills case, highlighting the BBC's efforts to uphold its values and accountability in handling sensitive personnel matters.
